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Ugh...just....ugh....
I have been making a conscious effort over the past couple of months to not let myself get angry when I encounter delays and other annoyance on the road. For the most part, it's been working, but today seemed to be conspiring against my efforts.
I was at one site, but I knew going in that I would have to take a field trip to a different site to use one of their specialized machines. So I loaded up the print job in my car and took it over there to do what needed to get done. And hoo baby.....I had three encounters in the parking garage there.
I should start off by saying that the layout of this particular parking garage is totally asinine. There's lots of blind turns in it, but the big problem is that the entrance is where the exit should be and vice-versa, forcing entering traffic to have to cross with exiting traffic just to get in.
I pulled in behind two other cars. the lead car was a Toyota Corolla that started off by inching over the speed bump at a glacial pace. OK, fine....not really a big deal. But then, the driver stopped smack dab in the spot where the traffic has to cross, narrowing it to just one lane and creating one hell of a log jam. Then he put his emergency flashers on and gets out, retrieving a wheelchair for his passenger.
Apparently he didn't see the available handicapped spaces.....as well as the area just outside the garage entrance for pickups and drop-offs.
Even so, this would not have been too big of a deal except for the Honda CRV trying to go the WRONG WAY to get to the ramp to the second level of the garage. This resulted in a three way standoff between the idiot in the CRV, the car in front of me (but behind the Corolla) and the car trying to exit. Thanks to these two morons, no one can go anywhere.
Thankfully, the standoff ended when the guy exiting backed up enough for guy in front of me to get through, then the CRV bolted up the ramp, and once that guy exited, I was finally able to pull around the Corolla and get up the ramp myself.
(BTW, the ground level parking is all reserved for patient parking at the Clinic attached to this building, which is why I had to wait to go up rather than just try to park on the ground level).
Then the CRV stopped at the top of the ramp. At first I thought it was just because of a pedestrian that was crossing over, but instead of continuing on once the pedestrian was out of the way, the CRV's reverse lights came on!!
Of course, I'm right behind it just like I would be if we were stopped at a light somewhere, so now I'm forced to back up just to avoid being clobbered. I had to back up about two and a half car lengths (fortunately, no one was behind me), all the while throwing up my arms in an exaggerated "WTF!" type gesture which the CRV must have seen, assuming they were looking while backing up which is doubtful.
Finally, the CRV starts trying to park in one of the spots along the left side of the ramp. Oops! Not enough room....so they back up AGAIN and have another go at it.....and STILL can't get lined up.
At this point I have just had it, so since I had enough room I zoomed around the CRV and up to the second level of the garage and - shame on me, I know - gave the CRV a nice long blast from my horn, which was extra loud since we in an enclosed space. But I mean really, first they're going the wrong way against hte flow of traffic, then they force me to back up, then the can't even get their stupid ass into the parking space? I know a CRV is an SUV but it's not like it's a freaking Suburban. I've had less trouble parking far larger vehicles in much tighter spaces even though my daily driver is a compact.
Inwardly cursing the airhead driving the CRV (and myself, for losing my patience and beeping at her), I found a spot, parked, and went in.
Perhaps half an hour later I was finished and got back in my car to leave, only to get stuck AGAIN because the VERY SAME CRV is now trying to leave, and is still managing to cause trouble!
The driver backed out, but didn't give themselves enough room to clear the other parked cars, so they had to inch forward then back up again. Then the CRV just stopped. Because of the angle they were at relative to me I could see right into the vehicle.....the driver was poking away at a GPS.
OK, seriously? You/re sitting there, in the travel lane, blocking me and two other vehicles, and you're choosing NOW to poke at the GPS?
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they got their ass in gear and left. Mercifully, they took a left out of the garage and i was going right, so I didn't have to deal with them again.
Seriously though, I'm blown away by the blatant stupidity, and the fact that this same driver managed to get in my way not once but THREE TIMES (once at the base of the ramp and twice at the top).
I have been making a conscious effort over the past couple of months to not let myself get angry when I encounter delays and other annoyance on the road. For the most part, it's been working, but today seemed to be conspiring against my efforts.
I was at one site, but I knew going in that I would have to take a field trip to a different site to use one of their specialized machines. So I loaded up the print job in my car and took it over there to do what needed to get done. And hoo baby.....I had three encounters in the parking garage there.
I should start off by saying that the layout of this particular parking garage is totally asinine. There's lots of blind turns in it, but the big problem is that the entrance is where the exit should be and vice-versa, forcing entering traffic to have to cross with exiting traffic just to get in.
I pulled in behind two other cars. the lead car was a Toyota Corolla that started off by inching over the speed bump at a glacial pace. OK, fine....not really a big deal. But then, the driver stopped smack dab in the spot where the traffic has to cross, narrowing it to just one lane and creating one hell of a log jam. Then he put his emergency flashers on and gets out, retrieving a wheelchair for his passenger.
Apparently he didn't see the available handicapped spaces.....as well as the area just outside the garage entrance for pickups and drop-offs.
Even so, this would not have been too big of a deal except for the Honda CRV trying to go the WRONG WAY to get to the ramp to the second level of the garage. This resulted in a three way standoff between the idiot in the CRV, the car in front of me (but behind the Corolla) and the car trying to exit. Thanks to these two morons, no one can go anywhere.
Thankfully, the standoff ended when the guy exiting backed up enough for guy in front of me to get through, then the CRV bolted up the ramp, and once that guy exited, I was finally able to pull around the Corolla and get up the ramp myself.
(BTW, the ground level parking is all reserved for patient parking at the Clinic attached to this building, which is why I had to wait to go up rather than just try to park on the ground level).
Then the CRV stopped at the top of the ramp. At first I thought it was just because of a pedestrian that was crossing over, but instead of continuing on once the pedestrian was out of the way, the CRV's reverse lights came on!!
Of course, I'm right behind it just like I would be if we were stopped at a light somewhere, so now I'm forced to back up just to avoid being clobbered. I had to back up about two and a half car lengths (fortunately, no one was behind me), all the while throwing up my arms in an exaggerated "WTF!" type gesture which the CRV must have seen, assuming they were looking while backing up which is doubtful.
Finally, the CRV starts trying to park in one of the spots along the left side of the ramp. Oops! Not enough room....so they back up AGAIN and have another go at it.....and STILL can't get lined up.
At this point I have just had it, so since I had enough room I zoomed around the CRV and up to the second level of the garage and - shame on me, I know - gave the CRV a nice long blast from my horn, which was extra loud since we in an enclosed space. But I mean really, first they're going the wrong way against hte flow of traffic, then they force me to back up, then the can't even get their stupid ass into the parking space? I know a CRV is an SUV but it's not like it's a freaking Suburban. I've had less trouble parking far larger vehicles in much tighter spaces even though my daily driver is a compact.
Inwardly cursing the airhead driving the CRV (and myself, for losing my patience and beeping at her), I found a spot, parked, and went in.
Perhaps half an hour later I was finished and got back in my car to leave, only to get stuck AGAIN because the VERY SAME CRV is now trying to leave, and is still managing to cause trouble!
The driver backed out, but didn't give themselves enough room to clear the other parked cars, so they had to inch forward then back up again. Then the CRV just stopped. Because of the angle they were at relative to me I could see right into the vehicle.....the driver was poking away at a GPS.
OK, seriously? You/re sitting there, in the travel lane, blocking me and two other vehicles, and you're choosing NOW to poke at the GPS?
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they got their ass in gear and left. Mercifully, they took a left out of the garage and i was going right, so I didn't have to deal with them again.
Seriously though, I'm blown away by the blatant stupidity, and the fact that this same driver managed to get in my way not once but THREE TIMES (once at the base of the ramp and twice at the top).
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